I expected Sessions to lay off her and save his ammo for the hearing. Let the others take their shots. Specifically, this is a question about her judicial philosophy. Will she let her racial bias, also called empathy, affect her ability to make decisions consistent with the law.

Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, said he assumes Sotomayor understood and supported the stance of a civil rights group she advised in the 1980s that brought several race discrimination lawsuits for minorities who challenged jobs or promotions given to white employees.

“It raises questions about, is that her philosophy, and is she going to carry that to the courts and apply it even if the law does not support it?” Sessions told Fox News.

…

“She participated in an organization or lawsuit, clearly participating actively as a supervisor of lawyers who actually litigated the cases, that is important,” said Sessions, the senior Republican on the Judiciary Committee evaluating Sotomayor’s nomination.

“There is no evidence (Sotomayor) objected the positions they were taking. The question is really — is this a philosophy that she has allowed to influence her decision making process on the bench?” he said.